The
design of the all-new A8 L is marked by flowing lines and
incredibly precise surfacesall striving to underscore
the car's dual missions of luxury and sport. Viewed from the
side, the eye is pulled from rear to front, making the car
appear to be leaping forward even at rest. Its overall geometry,
in fact, is more reminiscent of a sports car than a luxury
sedan. Its gently arched, coupe-like roof projects an air
of timeless elegance and obvious grace. But it's more than
just the big picture that counts. It's every detail.

Design
is part art, part science. As much intuition as intellect.
It's knowing when to add a flourish here and there. And knowing
when subtraction is the ideal course of action. At Audi, design
responsibilities rest with every individual who touches the
car. The success of our recent offerings is as much a result
of production excellence as it is of tasteful, Bauhaus-influenced
design. From the award-winning A4 and TT, to the A6, A8 and
allroad quattro, all of our cars demand extraordinarily narrow
tolerances between body panels to be their absolute best.
Design excellence also has to be defined in terms of timelessness.
Will the car you buy look out of date in a few years? Not
if it's crafted by a company that refuses to follow fads.
Not if it's made by a company whose ideals never waver. Not
if it's an Audi.

Audi
was among the first manufacturers to look everywhere 
even beyond the automotive landscape  in search of innovative
approaches to aerodynamics as well as design. Beginning in
the 1920s, Audi sought outside assistance from design studios
in streamlining the bodywork of its cars. To our way of thinking,
improved aerodynamics offers an opportunity at strikingly
new design, and vice-versa. The hallmarks of today's Audi
designs are clearly defined outlines, high beltlines, tautly
pulled roof lines and bold semi-circular wheel arches. Where
does form stop and function take over? When does function
rule and form occupy a secondary role? These are just some
of the questions that inform and guide our every decision.
More and more, people recognize that it's Audi's rigorous
attention to balancing form and function that makes our cars
so pleasingly whole, so fully realized.

Imagine
a world where every place you went  the office, the
corner store, a hotel room  was as well thought out
and designed as the interior of an Audi. Everywhere you look,
absolute precision as close to perfect as man and machine
can make it. When you sit behind the wheel of an Audi, you
sense an overall commitment to perfection, as well as a wealth
of telling details. Note the gorgeous aluminum trim in the
TT, or the thoughtfully designed control panels with fiber
optic ambient lighting in our other models. Run your hand
across the supple, organically tanned leather. Everything
just so.

An
all-consuming preoccupation with detail results in additional
refinements like a folding ignition key with remote locking.
The heated front seats and sound system controls on the steering
wheel that you'll find on some Audi models. Ideas not typically
considered by others, like storage trays under the seats in
the A4 Cabriolet and dual-level loading cargo floor in the
A4 Avant. Attention to touches that are not readily apparent,
like our meticulous exterior paint process  a 30-step
journey through our state-of-the-art facilities. Or something
simple yet thoughtful, like a third sun visor just above the
rearview mirror. Even our polished wood trim is designed not
to splinter in the event of an accident. Visionary design,
an obsession for precision, and attention to even the smallest
of details  these are at the heart of what makes an
Audi.